Mr Ngai joined Malayan Breweries Limited (MBL) in the 1980s with no brewing experience and no idea what to expect. Everything he knows today, he learned on the job. He started from scratch, one brew at a time.
Mr Ngai’s first day at Malayan Breweries, Alexandra Road, 15 August 1985
His journey began at the original brewery along Alexandra Road, now the site of IKEA. Back then, brewing wasn’t just technical, it was physical, just like a full-body workout. There were no automated systems, just heavy sacks of malt to haul and giant tanks to fill by hand. Everything was done manually, and precision relied entirely on the people, not machines.
Mr Ngai’s last day with former Supply Chain colleagues at Malayan Breweries as operations prepared to shift into a new era at the Tuas brewery
When operations moved to Tuas, Mr Ngai moved with them, stepping into a new chapter at what would become Asia Pacific Breweries. Over time, his role evolved. He took on more responsibilities, built new skills, and became a steady presence through decades of change.
Snapshots from Mr Ngai’s overseas stints
He also had the opportunity to train abroad, with stints in Hanoi, Holland, and Dublin. “It opened my eyes,” he said. “I saw how breweries operated around the world, and I was proud to bring those ideas back.” He was selected for the Young Managers Programme and the APBS Change Agents Workshop and made sure to pass that knowledge on to the next generation at the brewery.
One of his most vivid memories at the brewery came at the turn of the century. On New Year’s Eve in 1999, while the world counted down to the new millennium, Mr Ngai stayed back at the brewery with a team, monitoring the systems. That year, industries everywhere were bracing for Y2K — a global computer glitch feared to affect any system unprepared for the switch from 1999 to 2000. “We didn’t know what would happen. It was a serious thing. Everything was running on systems by then, and we had to make sure the brewery wouldn’t shut down.” In the end, the systems held up — thanks to Mr Ngai and the team that stayed ready.
This photo was taken on his last day at the Tuas brewery. After more than three decades, colleagues gathered at the brewery’s in-house bar, the Tiger Tavern, to thank him for the years of dedication and friendship. It marked the end of a chapter, but his legacy lived on in the people and processes he helped shape.
Of course, we had to ask … After all those years in the brewery, which beer was his favourite? “Heineken!” he smiled. “Because it’s 100% pure malt. It’s high quality, and the taste is always consistent.”
Mr Ngai at an alumni gathering with other ex-employees
Even in retirement, Mr Ngai stays in touch with many of his former colleagues. At an alumni gathering, surrounded by familiar faces, you can still feel the camaraderie that defined decades at the brewery. At APBS, past and present employees have always felt like one big family — connected by shared memories, hard work, and pride in what they brewed together.
As we celebrate SG60, stories like Mr Ngai’s remind us of the people who built APB. The human presence behind the machines — those who didn’t just operate equipment, but carried the promise of quality in their hands, passed down their knowledge, and took pride in every batch they brewed.